Staff

Owner and Director | Ms Cynthia has worked with numerous national ranking dancers. Originally from Torrance, CA, she began her dance training with the Palos Verdes Ballet under the direction of Uta Graf-Apostol where she performed in many ballets and worked her way up to dancing principle rolls. From 2004-2006 she studied at The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater where she had performed with the company in ballets such as “The Nutcracker” and “Sleeping Beauty”. Cynthia graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BFA in Dance-Performance, a BA in Sociology, and minor in Education. She received extensive training in ballet, contemporary, modern, and jazz from renowned faculty such as David Allan, Jodie Gates, Molly Lynch, Donald McKayle, and performed in works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Molly Lynch, Caleb Mitchell, and others. Cynthia recently moved from Southern CA where she was the Owner and Artistic Director of The Dance Academy at Costa Mesa. She has over 18 years of teaching experience and has a passion for working with and developing dancers to their fullest potential.

Studio Manager and Dance Teacher | Ms Alex is originally from Chicago and is a Columbia College Chicago alumna. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Entrepreneurship, with a concentration in Live and Performing Arts Management.

Throughout her dance training, Alex has studied a variety of genres, including Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Contemporary. She is also a certified Group Fitness Instructor, a licensed Barre Instructor, and an Acrobatic Arts-certified instructor.

While attending Columbia College Chicago, Alex continued her professional dance training at The Joffrey Ballet and worked with Chicago Public Schools, teaching dance to children with special needs. She has also worked with several dance companies, including an organization dedicated to bringing dance education to underserved communities throughout Chicago by transforming underutilized spaces into accessible dance studios and community programs.

Alex has performed throughout the Bay Area, including Oakland, and has had the opportunity to train and work alongside several influential artists in the dance industry, including So You Think You Can Dance choreographer Sonya Tayeh and renowned dancer Stephen “tWitch” Boss.

Alex has been a proud member of the In Motion Dance Center family since 2016. She is thrilled to begin another season of choreographing, teaching, and managing the studio. Alex takes great pride in In Motion Dance Center, its talented staff, and, most importantly, its wonderful dance families. She is passionate about creating a positive, supportive environment where dancers can grow, build confidence, and develop their love for dance.

Competition Manager and Dance Teacher | Ms Katherine has been teaching Tap and Hip Hop for the past 25 years where, she has been highly regarded by both her peers, students and parents alike. She grew up studying all styles of dance at various studios in the San Francisco Bay Area but found her true passion after taking her very first tap class. She has further studied with notable teachers such as Gregg Russell, Kaelyn Gray, Cory Finn, Mike Minery and Mark Mendonca. Her choreography has garnered numerous high point awards and special judge’s awards most notably two Industry Dance Award Regional Nominations and the Al Gilbert Tap Excellence Award. Her work has also been featured in several local performances, as well as, Deck the Halls featuring the San Francisco Symphony. Katherine holds a deep passion for helping beginning through advanced level dancers of all age explore and discover their own joy through the expression of dance.

Ms Julianne is originally from Chicago, Illinois where began her dance training at the age of four and finished out her high school years at the prestigious Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago, part of Hubbard Street Dance. She continued her education at Columbia College Chicago where she earned her BA in dance, concentrating on teaching and choreography. She moved to the Bay Area in 2015 where she has trained dancers of all ages and set award winning dances. Julianne has been with In Motion for over a decade and is excited to continue sharing her devotion and passion for dance.

Ms Carla was born to dance being the daughter of a professional dancer and teacher with three Aunts that had dance schools as well. Being trained in all forms of dance and gymnastics, with an emphasis on ballet, Carla pursued dance as her major at Butler and Indiana Universities as well as Ohio State. Moving to New York to pursue a dance career Carla was quickly hired by Bob Fosse to perform the part of Liz in the original production of Chicago on Broadway alongside Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, And Jerry Orbach. She was cast in the first national tour of Chicago playing Liz, and under studying the role of Roxy Hart. Carla also performed on Broadway in Don’t Step on my Olive Branch, and The 5 o’clock girl. Carla had the good fortune to perform in A Chorus Line at the Royal Drury Lane Theatre,London, playing the role of Sheila. National touring credits include, Sugar babies, Gigi, Al Jolson tonight, Showboat, No No Nanette, Kiss me Kate, Whoopee, Hans Christian Anderson, Mame, Funny Girl ,and Crazy for you at Seattle Repertory. Favorite job was promoting travel to New York City with the I Love New York campaign, traveling all over Europe with a Broadway revue. While living 15 years in New York, Carla had the opportunity to train with some of the greats, such as, Bob Fosse, Anne Reinking, Luigi, in jazz, David Howard, Finis Jung, And Anton Dolin in ballet, Brenda Buffalino, Gregory Hines, And Savion Glover in tap.

Being a firm believer in continued education, Carla travels several times a year to New York and Los Angeles to train and enhance her knowledge.

Moving to Benicia 28 years ago, Carla quickly became involved sharing her passion and love of dance, teaching at Stage One Dance, implementing the curriculum there with competitive tap, acrobatic arts and musical theater, as well as jazz and ballet. Being trained and certified in Pilates over the past 20 years, Carla brings the fundamentals of Pilates to all of her dance classes, sharing the importance of proper alignment and technique with her students. One of Carla’s greatest joys is sharing her love of the art of dance, watching and helping young dancers grow and mature Into beautiful, well postured young dancers. Carla Farnsworth, co-owner of Farnsworth dance Academy with her daughter Juliet Farnsworth is excited to be joining the staff of In Motion Dance.

Ms. Lexi began her dance journey at the tender age of 5, quickly demonstrating her talent and dedication by joining the prestigious Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, where she honed her skills for 10 years. Her formative years were further enriched by training with renowned instructors such as Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center, as well as at Hartford Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.

Ms. Risi’s exceptional talent earned her a full scholarship at the University of Utah, where she danced with both Utah Ballet and Ballet West. During her time in Utah, she was also honored with the opportunity to perform in the 2002 Winter Olympics Medal Ceremonies. She also had the experience of dancing and performing internationally in Taiwan.

After completing her BFA in Dance, Ms. Risi embarked on a professional career with City Ballet of San Diego, where she shone as a Soloist for seven years. Her repertoire includes notable soloist and principal roles in Balanchine’s Apollo, Stars and Stripes, Serenade, Who Cares?, Four Temperaments, Concerto Baroco, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and Swan Lake.

Following her retirement from the stage to focus on raising her two daughters, Ms. Risi continues to contribute to the dance world, particularly by supporting contemporary productions with Indelible Dance in New York City.

About eight years ago, Alexis relocated to Benicia, where she has become a ballet instructor in the area. She treasures being part of the local dance family and the vibrant community surrounding it.

Ms Sara has been dancing her entire life and began teaching as a teenager, quickly discovering a passion for sharing her love of movement with others. She trained and performed with both the junior and adult teams at In the Groove Studios. Sara is a recent graduate of San Jose State University, where she earned her B.A. in Psychology. During college, she was an active member of Commonality SJ, training in a wide range of hip-hop styles while also competing in, and winning awards at various competitions. Having previously danced with the competition team at In Motion Dance Center, she’s thrilled to return as a teacher and is looking forward to a great season ahead!

Ms Evelyn was born and raised in Louisiana. She trained formally in classical ballet with Red River Dance Theatre Company and Lafayette Ballet Theatre. Evelyn danced competitively – in styles including ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, lyrical, and contemporary – for six years before leaving Louisiana at age 16 to move to Brooklyn, New York.

In Brooklyn, she trained for one year at Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet before moving to Nashville, TN, where she trained in Nashville Ballet’s Professional Training Division and was a recipient of the Jane Fabian Scholarship. During summer and winter breaks, Evelyn continued her dance education with Charlotte Ballet, Ballet Austin, BalletMet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, The Washington Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Gallim, SALT, Gibney Dance Company, New Dialect, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

Evelyn was a trainee with Ballet Idaho for two years and performed in a variety of pieces including George Balanchine’s Serenade, Nicole Haskins’ Apogée, FLOCK’s A Single Shore, George Balanchine’s Divertimento No.15, and Penny Saunders’ Myrtle. While at Ballet Idaho, she also appeared in Sister, a short film by Quinn Wharton.

Evelyn is trained as an Adaptive Dance teacher and worked both as a class assistant and instructor in Nashville Ballet’s Adaptive Dance program. She has received certifications from Progressing Ballet Technique, Sugarfoot Therapy, DiscoverDance Early Childhood Dance, and Rhythm Works Integrative Dance. Evelyn is a Teaching Artist with Diablo Ballet’s PEEK Outreach Program, is a member of the Diablo Ballet School faculty, and teaches ballet classes at Dance Fusion Company and In Motion Dance Center.

Ms Terrin is a Bay Area native and Benicia resident working as a full time realtor
with Twin Oaks Real Estate, where she is currently the top producing agent at the
brokerage, and leads a team of 15. Ms. Kelly has always been driven, and focused on
achieving goals both for herself, her team members, students and her clients.
This all began with her professional ballet career at starting at age 14. Terrin Kelly has
performed throughout California as well as toured nationally and internationally
dancing with various companies including: Theatre Ballet of San Francisco, Oakland
Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theater, Ballet San Jose, Moving Arts Dance, Menlowe Ballet,
San Francisco Opera, and even a magic show produced by Siegfried & Roy.
Ms. Kelly obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the LEAP program at St. Mary’s
College. She has held numerous titles in the Miss America Program where she
promoted her platform of arts in education. She has been featured dancing in print
and web ads, in a national as well as a global commercial, and is the featured
ballerina for DANCIN vineyards in Medford, Oregon.
Terrin has had the pleasure of working with many esteemed choreographers who
have shaped her dancing and teaching style. As an instructor, Miss Kelly, has enjoyed
watching her students soar in all disciplines, receive many awards, gain recognition
under her tutelage, and follow their dance dreams studying and performing for
esteemed colleges, dancing in major companies, performing on Broadway, cruise
ships, in music videos and television shows.
Because of Ms. Kelly’s vast knowledge of the Bay Area, she enjoys helping her
buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals throughout California. Ballet was
her dream since she was a little girl, and now, she feels blessed to be on the action
side of the equation to make other people’s dreams come true through home
ownership and building wealth.
Terrin Kelly’s background in art appreciation has created a special love of preserving
the classics as well as creating new art. The artistic and eclectic community of
Benicia drew her in years ago, and she is looking forward to contributing to the fabric
of the community in many ways.

Ms Ciennah began dancing at the age of 2 and has trained in a variety of styles including ballet, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, and musical theater. She has spent many years training and performing at In Motion Dance Center, competing at regional and national competitions while earning many overall awards and special judges awards. Throughout her time at the studio, Ciennah has developed a love for both performing and teaching. She began assisting classes before joining the staff as an instructor and is excited to continue sharing her passion for dance with the next generation. In addition to teaching, Ciennah also plans to pursue both business and dance in college. She is thrilled to be a part of the In Motion Dance Center staff and looks forward to a fantastic season!

Ms Cara has been dancing since she was two years old and is entering her eighth season at In Motion Dance Center. She is also a senior at Carondelet High School and is captain of her high school varsity dance team. She has grown a deep passion for dance and has enjoyed every moment learning choreography and performing on stage. Cara is going on her last season as a competitive dancer and her second season teaching. She is so excited for the great season ahead and is looking forward to teaching the next generation of dancers.

Ms Briana began training in ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of five. In 2018, she joined In Motion Dance Center, where she continued developing her training in contemporary, lyrical, and pointe. After graduating from In Motion as a student, she began teaching at the studio for two seasons while studying Dance and Business Marketing at Diablo Valley College, where she further trained in modern dance. She later transferred to Sacramento State, where she was a two-year member of the Sac State Dance Team and expanded her training in collegiate pom, jazz, and hip-hop. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and is excited to return to In Motion for her third season of teaching. She is always looking for opportunities to continue learning, growing, and expanding her knowledge as both a dancer and teacher.

Ms Karis is a passionate dance educator and choreographer with over two years of teaching experience and a lifelong love for dance. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California in Spring 2026 with a B.A. in Dance and has trained in a variety of styles, including Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet/Pointe, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Pom, and Modern. Karis has experience teaching dancers of all ages, from young beginners to high school students. Her teaching philosophy centers around developing strong technique and discipline while encouraging artistry, individuality, and confidence. She strives to create an environment where every dancer feels empowered to find their own voice, challenge themselves, and genuinely enjoy the process of dancing.